Thank you for the venom
by eternalskeptic
Summary: Locked rooms,dead women,a single stab through the heart.No evidence, no clues, no hope! OR is there?Rogue decides to enlist the help of the one man who can bring the criminal to justice,L.L vs the untouchable murderer? Only 1 will live through this hell.
1. Chapter 1

The rain poured down relentlessly, washing any trace of evidence that might have been left on the streets, not that they expected to find any on the streets. After all they knew this M.O too well, a locked room, a dead girl, a single stab wound through the heart. What really puzzled the investigators was the lack of any form of forced entry, all the rooms were bolted shut from the inside, now how could you possibly murder someone without opening the door? The police had initially suspected that the serial killer had used an alternate entry, or had used some kind of mechansim to lock the doors once he had stepped outside, but that too was proved wrong by the witness reports. All the witnesses said the same thing, No one had come to the dead women's houses.

The police desperately tried to push back the media that had gathered round the apartment of the latest victim. Even the rain didn't seem to dampen their vigor, afterall this was the most sensational news of the season, and if these murders were to continue undeterred – it might become the modern equivalent of the Jack the Ripper case – bloody and unsolved. They desperately tried to pass through or atleast get a shot of the police chief who was standing just behind the doors, in deep conversation with a man in a long trench coat whose face was well hidden.

Meanwhile, upstairs outside the victim's apartment stood two sentries guarding or rather ensuring that the individual, the live one, who was inside was not disturbed. The raven haired individual in question was lost deep in thought as he crouched next to the body nibbling the top of his thumb. This case was starting to get 'Curiouser and curiouser', he chuckled as he realized that he had just quoted Alice. He stood up, with his trademark slouch as he made his way round the room. The victim lay on her bed, her eyes closed and her face serene showing no sign of pain. Her auburn hair lay flowing round her, as she lay on the blood soaked sheets, making the scene look even more bizarre. If not for the pull of reality, the detective would have deemed this as a work of art. There was a single stab wound through the heart, and once the results on the blood work came it would show that the victim had been stabbed with a venom coated knife. Venom from one of the most venomous snake in the world, ****Ophiophagus Hannah ******or in lay men terms the infamous King Cobra. What an elaborate way to kill someone, he thought as he picked up his cell phone. He called up the first person on his speed dial and held his phone to his ear with his thumb and index finger. Handling it like it too was a vital piece of evidence. "Watari , I think we are done here, prepare the helicopter." without waiting for an acknowldgement, he calmly disconnected the phone and slipped it into his pockets. He turned to give the victim one last glance as he shuffled out of the room at his usual sedantry pace. **

**All the victims till now had been young, single women, who seemed to have nothing in common except for their enchanting looks. They had all been beautiful and slender, but their similarity ended at that. The police had tried to find a pattern, right from the simplest one like hair color, to complex things like ancestory, they had tried everything and drawn a blank, that was when they decided to bring in the best. The detective had been called shortly after discovering the fifth victim, and he had obliged by flying to the scene within an hour. Afterall, he knew the odds of him getting called to assist on the case was 100%. **

**His untidy hair and his baggy clothes fluttered as he stepped onto the roof, to get into the waiting helicopter. "I will track down the murderer and bring him to justice", he stated as he stepped into his chopper. "I am sure you will, L", Watari said smiling at his 'son' as he eased the helicopter off the roof. **


	2. Chapter 2

L stepped out onto the private helipad and made his way towards an unmarked black sedan that was parked nearby. A tall, well built blonde man stepped out from the driver's side and greeted L, he would have passed off as an FBI officer if it hadn't been for the toothy grin that was plastered on his face. "Aiber", L stated as he nodded and stepped into the car. "A man of few words", Aiber mused as he took his place behind the wheel. After Watari had taken his seat in the front, Aiber eased the car into the driveway and made his way to their HQ, which in this case was a penthouse in the most lavish hotel in Washington D.C.

Once they were back in the Hotel, Watari left to meet the FBI, to collect the case details. Leaving Aiber to guard L, as a precaution in case someone had managed to follow them from the crime scene. Considering the amount of evasive measures they had taken, such a possibility was remote. However, nothing concerning the detective was ever to be left to chance. After all, brilliant minds like his were appeared only once in a century.

The Detective who had to be protected, seemed too absorbed in his thoughts to really pay attention to what was happening around him, the only thing that managed to capture at least part of his attention was the newly ordered strawberry cake that was set out in front of him. He scooped up a large piece of it and devoured it as his brain worked out all possible scenarios.

He thought about, windows, fire-escapes, skylights, even the possibility of trap-doors, and ruled out each one after factoring in the odds. One murder was different, but five. No, there had to be some other explanation, one that he couldn't see at present. He sighed as he realized that he needed more data before he could draw any conclusions. He got up and made his way to the window and gazed out at the city, five women all killed in this city, all young, beautiful healthy women, killed without any motive, no, there was a motive, there always was, he just had to find it.

Aiber watched L as he stood by the window gazing out, he had the urge to run to the window and check for snipers, but chuckled and settled back in his chair as he realized that they were 50 storeys up and the only building nearby that had a height to match this was a mile away. Watari had as usual been meticulous in choosing a place for his gifted liege. A shadow from inside the penthouse caught his attention. He didn't bother to look again, his eyes had never played tricks on him and he was sure of what he had seen. He sprang into action, grabbing his gun and rushing towards the door. Alerted by the sudden movement, L looked at Aiber and realized what had happened, in a cool, and an almost dead-pan tone, he commanded Aiber, "Stop", was all he said. But it was enough to halt Aiber's charged advance. Without taking his eyes off the door, Aiber questioned L, "Why?". "Because I don't want you to shoot the person who brought this case to our attention in the first place" , he said with a ghost of a smile. The tall, thin silhouette that had been near the door slowly took the form of young woman. Aiber eyed her from head to toe to ascertain that she wasn't a threat to his client. She shifted uneasily under his gaze as she approached Aiber and stated, "Hello, I am Rogue".


	3. Chapter 3

The red-head, who had introduced herself merely as Rogue, made her way to the sofa and sat down crossing her long legs. She could not help but smile as Aiber frantically looked between her and L. "L, maybe you should brief your body guards before you ask them to protect you", she quipped as she helped herself to some tea that Watari had laid out on the coffee table. Aiber lowered his gun, but still remained tense as he made his way to the sofa and seated himself opposite to the girl. Now, that he was sitting, he noticed, there were actually three ornate ceramic cups that had been left on the table. "This is Rogue, she will be assisting us with the investigation", L said as he made his way to his chair, the one he had risen from a few minutes ago. There had been an unspoken agreement among any one who had entered this room to leave aside the central chair as '_L's_' chair. "Nice to meet you, Aiber", Rogue said a genuine smile grazing her thin lips, "Hello, Rogue", he didn't bother asking how she knew his name, if she had been enlisted to help L, then she was probably resourceful enough to research about L's usual helpers. "Thierry Morrello , age 27 , birth place France, con-man extraordinaire, suspected for burglary in three states and currently single", she said her emerald eyes sparkling over the tea cup. Aiber was startled, knowing his Alias was one thing, but to know his real name and his history was another. "Impressive", he said as he regained his usual composure. She nodded acknowledging his compliment, as she continued to study him and him her. L observed the two silently as they weighed each other.

"You seem to know everything about me, but I don't know anything about you, so what is it that you do, ", Aiber asked smoothly, turning on his charm. Rogue raised a thin eyebrow at this sudden change but did not comment, "I am a computer technician", she stated. Aiber frowned as he took in her cryptic reply. Surely this girl had to be more than just a computer technician to be trusted by L. L chuckled as he explained, "Rogue is an experienced hacker who works part time for the CIA" . Aiber looked at her with newly found respect, "Aren't you a little too young to be in the CIA?" he asked. "On the contrary, most of the Hackers employed by the secret services fall in the age group of 20-25. After all, most hackers start young and reach their prime in their 20s". "How did you acquire these, erm.. skills ?". She smiled at the question she was used to being asked. It was almost always the one to follow, 'what do you do for a living?'. She grinned as she told him her standard answer - "A bit of I.Q, long hours on the internet and loads of icecream", 'Another genius with a sweet tooth', Aiber mused as he observed her.

She was pretty, not gorgeous but alluring none the less, high cheek bones, sharp chin and inquisitive eyes that gave her an air of intelligence and sophistication. Her crimson hair framed her face perfectly and fell in waves a little below her shoulders. It was difficult to make out how exactly how old she was, but he guessed that she was somewhere between 18-22. She was dressed in casual attire, a T-shirt and a pair of jeans to be precise, and her attitude and ease exuded confidence in her every move. 'A very interesting woman indeed', Aiber concluded. His stomach rumbled slightly signalling that it was dinner time. He got up and prepared to head towards the kitchen, to fix himself a snack, but not before he could solve one mystery...

"Just for the record, how old are you?" , he asked as he reached the kitchen door. "I am twenty, but that doesn't mean that I am available", she said casually, catching his line of thought . She took out a laptop and started working on it, ignoring everyone around her. "Oh, that is immaterial " , Aiber said softly as he went to make himself a sandwich. L had watched the entire thing with silent, detached curiosity. 'Things are going to get very interesting around here', he said chuckling as he helped himself to another piece of cake.


End file.
